Tuesday, November 13, 2012

kyo chabana

Kyo Chabana is a chain of okonomiyaki and teppanyaki restaurants in the Kyoto and Osaka areas.

I've wanted to try them since I saw a segment on a television show. Their most popular item is an okonomiyaki topped with fresh tomato.

We got a chance to try them at the Hankyu Department restaurant floor. This department store just went through a major renovation and after 3 years, is finally open.

Needless to say, there are tons of people all wanting to check the store out.

In front of most of the restaurants on this floor, there are "fast pass" machines which you can load onto your phone and I think they e-mail you when your table is ready.

We got there before the dinner rush, so were seated quite quickly.

The okonomiyaki comes to your table, then an okonomiyaki sauce topped with mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and chiffonade shiso (perilla) is poured over. The heat from the grill pan, melts the cheese and it is oozy gooey goodness.

The flavor kinda reminded me of western barbecue sauce.

Another item we tried was their avocado yakisoba.

Instead of yakisoba noodles, which I think are egg based, they use soba noodles (buckwheat). The sauce is a combination of yamaimo (chinese yam), shoyu and some wasabi. Then it is topped with avocado & shrimp.

Both items were different and really delicious.

Our only gripe was the serving size, really small. The okonomiyaki was only about a 4-inch round, which isn't very much.

For those 2 items, a glass of wine and a beer, we paid 3560 yen.

We tried it and liked it but dunno that we would go back.

Kyo Chabana
Hankyu Department Store 12F
Phone: 06.6313.1505

11 comments:

K said...

These sounds really tasty - but a 4" round???

Rowena said...

A little pricey, but I was drooling as I read through the post!

Unknown said...

Kat, I really appreciate yourblogging about food, prices, locations, etc. because I've scheduled another trip to Osaka/Kyoto and having been looking through your posts for places to try. Only, my husband and I both don't speak Japanese...hope the google translator will be sufficient, LOL

K and S said...

K, teeny right?!

pricey indeed Rowena!

I hope Google Translator will be able to help you too Vicki :) enjoy your trip!

Take care everyone.
Kat

Su-Lin said...

Is okonomiyaki usually quite expensive in Japan? There are a couple restaurants here in London selling it but they're all quite expensive!

Anonymous said...

sounds like a good (decent) dining experience, however. thanks for stopping by! xoxo

K and S said...

usually if there are many toppings (seafood, meats & noodles) added, it can get kinda expensive Su-Lin, but 1 okonomiyaki with 1 topping shouldn't cost very much.

Thanks Paz!

Take care you two.
Kat

KirkK said...

Not quite sure about okonomiyaki with cheese....and that sounds a bit expensive Kat!

K and S said...

quite tasty with the cheese Kirk, but definitely pricey!

Take care.
Kat

mariko said...

That looks delicious! I was hoping to randomly run into you in Osaka! Everything seemed busier and more crowded this year, for some reason. I'm traveling with a friend plus my mother and brother so thought the logistics of meeting up might be too hairy. Next year, maybe?

K and S said...

no problem, Mariko, I'm sure we'll meet up one day :)

Take care and enjoy the rest of your trip.
Kat